Meet Your Pancreas Part 3

Precious Tips on How to Support Your Precious Pancreas

Welcome back dear readers. This is the 3rd installment of a 3 part newsletter about your pancreas. Just in case you missed the first two, the links are available below. You may want to check them out first.

Part 1 deals with the importance and functions of your pancreas (click here) Part 2 features clues on how you can determine your pancreas might be sick (click here) Part 3 discusses ways on how you can support your precious pancreas. (You're already here!)
Now it's time to look at what you can do to help or maintain the health of your pancreas.

Things that are good for your pancreas...

1. Pancreatic enzymes. There are many good pancreatic enzyme products (PEP) available on the market. Pancreatic enzyme products contain (at the very least) the digestive enzymes protease, lipase, and amylase. They're primarily used in patients who don't produce enough pancreatic enzymes to digest the food they eat. Now, they're available as supplements to the general public. They're best taken just before you eat or while eating. In this way, they're mixed with your food and able to start the digestion process immediately. Vegetarian or plant based digestive enzymes are considered better because they survive in a wider pH range (within the digestive tract) than animal derived pancreatic enzymes.

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Chromium. This trace mineral is singled out for a specific reason, insulin. Chromium has been repeatedly demonstrated in scientific studies to enhance the biological activity of insulin. The exact mechanism of how chromium does this is still under intense investigation. Chromium is available as chromium picolinate taken either alone or in combination with other ingredients.

3. Lipotropic agents. No, these aren't diet pills. Lipotropic agents are substances which enhance the flow of bile within and from the liver. They make sure bile moves smoothly through the bile ducts. Remember, sluggish bile movement can become a functional obstruction. This can eventually contribute to the development of pancreatitis. Vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, betaine, methionine and choline are examples of lipotropic agents.

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Restrict intake of damaged/ hydrogenated fats, processed foods and sugars. If you already have some form of pancreatic disease, your main goal is not to overwork your pancreas. You do more damage if you overwork it. The more time it gets to rest, the more opportunity it will get to recover. Damaged or hydrogenated fats demand a great deal from your pancreas. You need your pancreas to secrete a lot of lipase to digest this heavy load. It’s the same when you gobble up a huge piece of cake (a lot of insulin is released causing your blood insulin levels to spike). Processed foods are foods that have been changed or altered from their natural state and contain preservatives and other added man-made ingredients that can be a burden on the pancreas. Making your meals from only whole foods (the way great grandma used to) guarantees you’re getting the best from your food.

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Multivitamin/mineral supplements. You're only as strong as your weakest link. To make sure all bases are covered, you can supplement with a multivitamin/mineral complex. Your pancreas may be doing well, but if your overall well-being is compromised, your pancreas can deteriorate.

6. Alternative therapy. You may not know it, but stress can clearly trigger symptoms of pancreatitis. It's essential to note that there are alternative therapies available which can help you alleviate the symptoms of pancreatitis. Some of these therapies are also applicable to other symptoms found in other pancreatic diseases. You can diminish stress by using relaxation techniques like yoga, t'ai chi, and meditation. Some people also benefit from and alleviate their symptoms by undergoing acupuncture.

Things that are bad for your pancreas...

Alcohol. Were you surprised this is at the top of the list...? You shouldn't be. Alcohol is one of the most common causes of pancreatitis, whether acute or chronic. The precise mechanism by which alcohol initiates this process is still undetermined. What the experts know is that alcohol promotes inflammation in both acute and chronic cases of pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis happens over a few days. You may or may not feel any pain. If you have pain it can become severe enough to warrant medical attention. Sometimes, acute pancreatitis can occur on top of chronic pancreatitis. Continued heavy alcohol intake promotes persistent and chronic inflammation of the pancreas. This eventually leads to scarring and permanent damage. It's critical to state that every individual's capacity to handle and metabolize alcohol is different. For some, drinking alcohol in excess of 200g (the equivalent of a 2 litre wine cask or 20 standard drinks) per day will not develop pancreatitis, while others are not so fortunate. A final note on alcohol, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic to humans. The IARC is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) and has a specific goal in mind, which is to identify causes of cancer.

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Presence of gallstones. The presence of gallstones along the common bile duct (where bile passes through) or pancreatic duct (where pancreatic enzymes pass through) is another common cause of pancreatitis. Gallstones can block or obstruct the secretion of pancreatic enzymes when they pass by the common bile duct. The pancreatic enzymes will flow backwards and initiate an inflammatory reaction within the pancreas, causing more damage. The most efficient way to prevent having gallstones is to eat a low fat diet which includes vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These groups of foods contain less cholesterol. Cholesterol is a major constituent of cholesterol gallstones (there are other types of gallstones). The more cholesterol you eat, the more you contribute to the development of gallstones. Although gallstone formation is a complex process, your appetite for cholesterol rich foods isn't helping you from preventing its formation. Are you overweight? If yes, score another point for gallstones. Being overweight predisposes you to have gallstones. Other factors which predispose you to have gallstones include constipation, rapid weight loss and decreased intake of magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, and folate.

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Smoking. Smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. A risk factor is something which increases your chances or risk of developing cancer. It doesn't necessarily follow that if you have a risk factor, you will get cancer. If you smoke, your chances of getting cancer are almost double, compared to nonsmokers. According to researchers, the cancer causing chemicals in cigarettes are the ones mainly responsible for increasing your chances of developing pancreatic cancer. These chemicals enter your bloodstream and reach your pancreas. When they do, they can cause all sorts of damage to your pancreatic cells. Don't attempt to make excuses by smoking smokeless tobacco. Experts found that smokeless tobacco can also increase your chances of acquiring pancreatic malignancy (cancer). Our friendly agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies tobacco smoking, tobacco smokeless and tobacco smoke (secondhand) as carcinogenic to humans. Did you know that over 4,000 chemicals are formed when smoking a cigarette? I ask again, why would anyone want to smoke?

4. Occupational exposure. What type of work do you do? Some chemicals used in refining metals, dyes, and pesticides are known to increase your risk of acquiring pancreatic cancer.

5. Drugs. There are some drugs that can contribute to the development of pancreatitis. They account for 5% of pancreatitis cases. These are the following:

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